Panorama
by Tricks AND Treats Contest
Summary: A simple job assignment turns into much more for Angela Weber when she gets a chance to peek into the life and the love shared by Bella and Edward Cullen. Can Bella help her put the disjointed pieces of her life back together? (Rated M for language only.)


**DISCLAIMER:** The author does not own any publicly recognizable entries herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

I parked the car outside the beautiful white bungalow, confirmed the address, and stepped out. The house was surrounded by a garden. There were a few large oak trees growing along the edges of the property that bore leaves in delightful shades of yellow, ochre, orange and tan, woven into an amalgamation that only Mother Nature could create. The sight brought an involuntary smile to my face. For a moment, I forgot all of my troubles- the fights I had this morning, last night, and the day before- and lost myself in the earthy smell and crisp fall air.

My moment of peace didn't last long. I wasn't here to commune with nature, after all. I was here on a work assignment. A couple of cars came up on the driveway and I greeted their occupants. Together, we climbed the three stairs to the porch and walked up to the door.

Seconds after I'd knocked, I was greeted by a woman with jet black spiky hair and the greenest of eyes I'd ever seen.

Alice Cullen-Whitlock.

Her body was petite, but the woman could be exceedingly overwhelming and commanding when she wanted to be or if the situation demanded it. I knew this because I'd had the opportunity to work closely with her several times in the past few months since I'd been selected for an internship in the media department of her company. Fortunately, she had seemed to like me since the first assignment that I had assisted her in, and so she always treated me kindly and appreciatively. In return, I put my heart and soul into my work.

"Angela! Hi." She greeted me with a smile. "Come on in, all of you."

"Hello, Alice."

Oh yeah, I was part of the group of selected few at the office that was allowed to call her by her first name. I legit celebrated with champagne the day she'd granted me access into that group.

 _Champagne and Tyler… That was a good night._

With a shake of my head, I dismissed that thought.

Our group of five entered the mansion, which I realized was as beautiful inside as it was on the outside. A spiral staircase on our right led up to the second floor. We trudged ahead, following Alice as she led us to the living room. It had plush couches surrounding an antique rosewood table and a fifty-inch flat screen TV mounted on the wall. The wall on my right had a huge window overlooking the garden and a comfortable looking reading seat nestled next to it. Little knick-knacks adorned the shelves and tables and an arrangement of several photographs was hung up on the wall. Just by looking at the careful and creative way they were arranged, I could tell that they meant a lot to the owner of the house.

As I said, it was all very beautiful.

The highlight, though, was a huge carved pumpkin that seemed to have a place of pride on a separate table. I yearned to look at the design, but it was facing away from me.

A dark haired woman walked in, smiling as she held out a hand to me. "Hi, you must be Angela. It's nice to meet you. I'm Bella Cullen."

She had a soft voice and a warm demeanor that immediately put me at ease. "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Cullen."

She laughed. "Please, call me Bella. I'm a couple of years younger than your boss here," she teased and nudged Alice, who shoved her right back. We looked on with slack-jawed fascination as the woman who was such a hard-ass in the office interacted playfully with her sister-in-law.

I guess it was silly to assume that Alice's demeanor with her family would be the same as it was in the professional world. Still, it was a little disconcerting to see her so relaxed and completely at ease.

It was a little like… like when you're in grade school. You can never imagine your teachers having a different life outside of the classroom. Their image burned into our little minds always included pencil skirts and sweater blouses. The idea of them in a backless top and a mini skirt, grinding against a tattooed guy… Yeah, that never comes to mind.

"Thank you for doing this," Bella addressed us, bringing me back to the present. "I'm sure you all had better plans for Halloween, but if Alice was half as persistent with you as she was with me, I can't imagine having any choice in the matter." She teased us with a wink, and we laughed, but it was a little off.

Because what Mrs. Cullen… Bella didn't seem to realize, or chose to ignore, was that Alice Cullen-Whitlock was an unstoppable force of nature when she wanted something done. There was no need for her persistence. All she had to do was send out an order and there was just no refusing her.

Bella stepped forward to make introductions to my crew for the day- Mike, our cameraman, and his three assistants, Jessica, Lauren and Eric.

I watched, equal parts amused and irritated, as Mike held on to Bella's hand a beat longer than required.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said with what he considered his most charming smile, but in all honestly, it just made me want to punch him in the stomach. At forty, he viewed himself as a serial Lothario, and I would never have chosen him for this assignment but for the fact that besides Tyler, he was the best cameraman we had.

And Tyler was most definitely not available today.

Jessica and Lauren said their hellos. "It's no trouble at all. We're always here for whatever Alice requires of us."

Yeah, those two sluts were the biggest ass kissers I'd ever had the misfortune of encountering.

I sighed.

I sounded like a bitch. I wasn't always on the warpath against everyone I came across. I was just having a really bad day.

" _Can you please stop nagging me for one fucking minute? I feel like it's all you do these days. You wanted this, Angela. You wanted this. It was your decision, not mine." Tyler's voice echoed in my head._

No, not now.

I couldn't think about Tyler while I had a job to do.

Mike and his crew followed Alice as she took them on a tour of the house, to decide which rooms, angles, etc. they wanted to use for the shots.

Bella invited me over to the couch, and took a seat next to me. My eyes couldn't help but shift over to the proud pumpkin sitting on its throne. Bella followed my gaze and smiled fondly.

"So what family traditions have we managed to pull you away from?" Bella asked me.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"What do your folks do for Halloween?"

"Umm," I hesitated.

The truth was, at one point of time, festivals had been an integral part of the Weber household. Mom would search for the best recipes in Grandma's books and treat us all to a lavish meal.

It changed, slowly, gradually, when first my brothers and then I moved away for our respective colleges and jobs.

Another contributing factor to that change… My mom's new passion.

Fanfiction.

Yeah, I was one of the blissfully unaware people when it came to the world of Fanfiction. Until my mom read the Twilight book, devoured the movies, practically drooled over a shiny vampire guy and then became addicted to more stories that didn't even have anything to do with the original ones.

I mean, a guy who sparkles? Like, everywhere?

 _Seriously?_

And how many times can you read about the same characters over and over?

I failed to understand it.

But, it was extremely important to her. That was why my parents were currently on the other side of the country, where Mom had attended a Twific Meetup last week. Apparently, hundreds of other ladies, who were as crazy about the Twilight series as her, if not more, were going to be there. It was the second time Mom had gone. She told me that she was quite a celebrity in their world and did not want to miss out on the chance to see her "fans".

It was a testament to my Dad's love for her that he'd not even flinched when she mentioned making it a trip for the both of them.

I didn't think I could explain all of this to Bella and come out on the other side with my reputation intact.

So I simply said, "We're not too big on Halloween."

Bella frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, a family gathering is a must for Christmas and Thanksgiving, but Halloween, not too much. There are no little kids in our family. Maybe if there were, it would be a bigger deal."

"I guess that makes sense." She paused for a second and then smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be pry. It's just… well, Halloween has always been very important for my husband and me. It's a little difficult for me to imagine not celebrating it. I'm not offending you, am I? Because I really don't mean to do that."

I chuckled. "No, don't worry about it. And I'd love to hear your Halloween stories. That's what I'm here for, after all."

Bella puffed out a breath, her expression now apprehensive. "Yeah, the interview. I have no idea how these things are done and what the heck I'm supposed to do here."

"I told you not to worry about that," Alice said as she returned with the group. With a flick of her hand, she indicated Mike to set up his equipment and he promptly got to work with his minions.

Alice took a seat next to Bella on the other side of the sofa and held her hand. "You've been waiting for this day for a long time, honey. We all have. This is my gift to you and Edward for his homecoming. Trust me, you'll not want to miss a single moment of this day and my team will make sure you don't. It's like when you host a party. You plan and plan everything to perfection, check, recheck, supervise, and mingle with the crowd, but you don't get that feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment until the last guest has gone home happy and you revisit the entire event through your memories. You are going to be stressed out all day today, I know. We're doing this so that tomorrow, once Edward has had a good night's sleep in the comfort of his own home, the two of you can sit back, relax, and watch the video. You will be able to relive all of your happy memories and this very important day for the rest of your life."

I watched, touched, as Bella wiped at the tears that had spilled over her cheeks. "That sounds like heaven," she whispered and reached out to hug Alice. "Thank you."

I got up to give them some privacy. Mike briefed me on what he and Alice had decided to do and I made a mental note of it all, while Jess, Lauren and Eric set up the lights.

My ears perked up when I heard Alice mention my name. "Angela is one of the most promising interns I've worked with. She'll have you pouring out your entire life story in no time, you'll see."

My eyes widened comically at Alice's praise. Eric looked over at me with a smile, and mouthed "Way to go!" On the other hand, I could feel the malicious glares of the ass-kissing twins boring into my skull.

 _Psst! Like I care!_

 _Alice Cullen-Whitlock had just called me "promising."_

 _Despite the shitty start, this day was turning out to be quite good._

 _Now, if only the other matters would fall into place so easily…_

"Shall we start?" Alice asked, and waved me over to the couch. "Angela, I'm leaving this in your hands. I have to get to the office for a video conference with the Denalis, so I can be back by four. This needs to be perfect. I need you to tell me you understand that."

"Yes, Alice. I won't let you down."

She nodded and said goodbye to Bella before leaving.

"Okay, let's do this," Bella said, obviously nervous after Mike instructed us on our sitting positions.

"Relax, Bella," I said softly. "You're not on live TV. This video is just for your family. Something to help you revisit this day as many times as you want."

"Yes, I know you're right, but I've never done this before." She shot a worried glance at the camera.

"Forget about the camera. Forget they're even here. You don't have to react to them. They're very good at what they do and they'll work with you. It's just the two of us here. I'm your friend and I'm asking you about how you met the love of your life. You'll tell me, won't you? You can do that," I encouraged.

Finally, her stance relaxed and she smiled. "Okay. Let's do this."

"So, we'll start with me walking into the house, introducing you and after that, we'll show this conversation. Right, Mike?" He gave me a thumbs up in response.

"So we need to do that first?" Bella asked me.

"No, we'll do those shots later and put them in the beginning when we edit the footage. I'll ask you questions to keep you going, but we can remove them later if you aren't happy. Let's finish this first, so you can relax. Ready?"

Bella nodded.

Mike gave me the signal when he started to record and so we began.

"Tell me about what's going to happen today, Bella."

"Today… Today is the day my husband, Major Edward Cullen comes home from Afghanistan."

"How does it feel, Bella?"

"It feels-" She paused, probably looking for the right word. "It feels absolutely surreal. The last time I saw him was nine months ago, and I can hardly believe that in a few hours from now, he's going to be home. I can't even begin to describe what myriad of feelings are coursing through my body since yesterday when we received the news of his return. I looked at the phone, saw the area code and my heart… my heart started thudding in my chest, threatening to break out. Then, then I heard his voice and I-" She closed her eyes and sighed, smiling wistfully. "I heard his voice and I cried. I just couldn't stop crying. It had been three months since I'd heard his voice."

I stifled a gasp. "You hadn't talked for three months?"

"No," Bella whispered and her voice caught. She cleared her throat. "No, their unit had been in a black out. There was a situation; they had to change locations, so they went black." At my puzzled look, she explained, "They are not allowed to communicate with the families in any form, for security reasons. We don't know their location, what they're doing, how they're doing… nothing."

"That sounds scary." I couldn't even imagine how it felt… not having any information about my loved one in a war zone.

"It is absolutely terrifying. Every day, I would wake up, I'd see the empty half of the bed, the empty place at the dining table, the news channel that he loves, his clothes hanging in the closet… every single thing, every single moment was a reminder that he wasn't here with me." Her gaze had moved past me, staring at nothing, seeing nothing but, what I assumed, were memories of the months that she'd spent without her husband.

"How do you bear it?"

Focusing back on me, Bella smiled a little. "I have a great support system in my family and friends. Also, our support group of army spouses is an absolute blessing. Only those people who've been through exactly what you are experiencing can empathize. The others, though they have the best intentions, sometimes, all they can offer is sympathy and that's not always enough. Listening to stories of others who'd been through the separation, and came out stronger on the other side, yeah, spending time with those couples was the best form of therapy for me."

I was in awe of the absolute courage and resilience of the woman before me, as well as all the others- soldiers and their families who had sacrificed their entire lives for the sake of their country and its citizens. I watched as Bella discretely wiped away her tears, and took it as a hint to shift to lighter matters.

"Well, let's move on to happier topics, shall we? Today is supposed to be a joyful day, after all. Tell me, how did you two meet?"

"Well, we went to the same high school. I was the new girl that joined in junior year." A fond smile spread over Bella's face.

"Did you trip and he caught you, helped you up and pick up your books?" I didn't realize until I saw Bella's face that I'd actually said that out loud.

"Uh, no." Bella giggled. "That would have been simpler. No, we started dating officially after the Halloween party that was held at a dumb jock's house. I went to the party with said dumb jock." My mouth fell into an "O" of surprise. "What? I was the new girl; I didn't know exactly how dumb or sleazy he was."

"Sleazy?"

"Yep, tried to get handsy with me. Any guesses as to who saved me?"

"A certain Mr. Cullen?"

"Correct answer." She grinned and we high-fived, giggling like a pair of schoolgirls sharing a juicy piece of gossip. "Before the party, I'd seen him around at school, of course, but he was the brooding type, you know? The ones that made everyone keep a little distance?"

"Yeah." I knew the type very well. Keeping everyone at a distance… That was Tyler's motto in life.

Bella didn't notice my distraction, and I was grateful for that. "So, yeah… Dumb Jock got far too close for my liking; Edward put him in his place and offered to take me home. There was just one little problem. Me." She laughed, shaking her head at herself.

"Why? What did you want to do?"

"I wanted to beat the hell out of Dumb Jock. I was pissed off, royally pissed off and I just wouldn't stop punching and kicking him once Edward had pulled him away from me. He thought I would stop after a couple of hits, but I kept going and going until the point where Edward had to pull _me_ away from him." She laughed again, and I joined in, imagining the whole scene.

" _Whoa, Muhammad Ali! Enough, you're gonna kill him!"_ Bella said, trying to imitate a deep, male voice. "That was the first sentence he ever said to me."

"Very romantic," I teased and she winked.

"Well, it was Halloween, not Valentine's' Day! I think it was appropriate."

"When you put it that way..."

"I was shaking and panting in anger even after we got away from the guy. Edward realized that I needed to expend all the adrenaline coursing through my body, so…"

I was on the edge of my seat. The nostalgic smile on Bella's face made me extremely curious about what Edward did to soothe the fuming girl he had on his hands, when a loud, shrill sound rang out from Bella's phone.

The sound of a baby's wail.

Bella glanced at the feed from the baby monitor, then looked at the clock and laughed. "She's going to be such a daddy's girl. Always on time. I'm sorry, can we take a break? I have to feed my daughter."

"Oh, yes, of course."

"I left some snacks on the kitchen counter and there's juice in the fridge. Please, help yourself and I'll be right back." She smiled, and walked down the hallway on the other side of the main door.

Mike suggested that we finish some of the introductory shots that he had decided upon, so we got to work. Once that was done, the crew went over to the kitchen for some food. I joined them, but only had a glass of water, not really in the mood to eat.

After that, I took a few minutes to wander around the huge garden, admiring the splendor of the vivid colors of nature, when my phone rang, shattering whatever tranquility I'd gained.

I looked at the screen.

 _Tyler._

I ignored the call once and walked back inside the house to see if Bella was ready. I was in the foyer when his ringtone rang out again, so I answered, and briskly walked into the first room I found.

"What?" I barked. I didn't even look inside, just turned toward the door and slammed it shut.

"Oh, is that how you answer your phone now?" His voice was petulant, fueling my irritation further.

Counting in my head from one to ten, I took two deep breaths before replying. "What do you want, Tyler? I'm at work."

"I know that. I wouldn't have called unless it was something important," he muttered.

"Well, what is it?" I was trying _hard_ to be patient, but his words from earlier in the morning rang clear in my mind and the wrath they induced had left no room for patience.

"My blue file, the one with the photographs for the wildlife assignment, where is it?"

I frowned. "I have no idea."

"Are you sure?" he asked, his scoffing tone rubbing me the wrong way.

"Yes, Tyler, I'm pretty fucking sure! You don't need to sound so condescending."

"I'm not condescending," he argued. "I'm just saying that this has happened before, you moved something of mine without asking and I'm just confirming if you're absolutely sure you didn't do it again."

"Move something without asking you? It is my home, too, in case you've forgotten. I don't need your permission to clean up!"

Tyler groaned. I said nothing, waiting for him to break first.

"Angela," he whispered after a moment of tense silence. "I didn't- I didn't mean what I said this morning. Please, I don't want to fight anymore."

His anger, his irritation… I could take it all without breaking down. But the moment he dropped the bravado, I felt the tell-tale prick of tears forming in my eyes.

"Like I said, I didn't move your file. I didn't even see it. What I do know is that when you get back from work and you're hungry, like you were last night, you go straight into the kitchen and raid the cabinets. If you had something in your hands at the time, it usually sits on the counter until I remember to put it back in the study. I suggest you check there."

"Thank you," he said and I hung up immediately.

My eyes squeezed shut for a second, snapping back open immediately when I heard a baby's gurgle.

 _Oh shit._

Slowly, dreading every single second of it, I turned around to face the room, where on the huge king sized bed sat Bella, fixing her shirt with one hand and holding her daughter in the crook of the other arm.

"I- I-" I stuttered, dumbstruck and horrified that I'd just had a mortifying personal conversation in front of my boss' sister-in-law.

 _While she was feeding her daughter!_

I prayed that the ground would open up and swallow me whole, but at this point, I didn't expect even that to go in my favor either.

"I-I'm very sorry you had to hear that," I choked out past the sudden lump in my throat. "I didn't even look to see if there was anyone in here."

"Clearly," Bella said as she stood up and held the baby at her shoulder, gently patting her back.

"I'm sorry, Bella, please-"

"It's alright. That was obviously a… well, an _intense_ conversation. You don't owe me an explanation," she told me. Her voice was as warm and gentle as it had been earlier, and an immense wave of relief flooded my mind. I had to work to stop myself from sagging against the door. That was the last thing I needed.

"Thank you." I shook my head once. "It was highly unprofessional of me, but I… Just, thank you."

She smiled, readjusting the baby, who was apparently done burping. "Relax, Angela. It's okay. Don't worry about it."

I finally managed to give her a grateful smile as the last of the tension eased out from my body.

Ten minutes later, we'd all convened back in the living room, this time little Miss Cullen had joined us on the couch. She lay awake in her mother's arms, looking around curiously at the new people who'd come calling in her little world.

Jessica and Lauren fawned over the baby and for once, I had to agree with them. The little one was absolutely the most precious baby I'd ever seen. She had her mother's porcelain skin and rosy, dimpled cheeks. Her hair was auburn and slightly wavy and eyes the color of sparkling emeralds. One look at the photographs on the mantle told me that she had gotten those from her father.

"So, where were we?" Bella asked me.

"You were mad enough to kill someone at the Halloween party."

"Oh, yeah," she chuckled. "Edward took my hand, forcibly, I should add, and led me over to the dining table. Our classmates had tried to have a pumpkin carving competition, but once the beer had been brought out, needless to say, everyone became distracted. Edward silently pointed to a chair, and for some reason, I sat down without an argument. He put a knife and a pumpkin in front of me, took one for himself and simply started cleaning and carving. I watched him, flabbergasted for a full minute, but he just looked at me with raised eyebrows, as if to say "What are you waiting for?" and continued on his masterpiece. I laughed once in disbelief, then eventually picked up the knife and got to work."

"Did it work?"

"Sure did. The anger melted away slowly when I started working on cleaning the huge pumpkin, and then thinking about what design I should make. While I did all that, Edward was whistling the James Bond tune and working so diligently that I became extremely curious about what he was doing. He wouldn't let me see it, though, not until it was done. So, I turned to my own pumpkin and lost myself in the Cullen brand of therapy for anger management."

"So, what was it? What did he make?" I eagerly asked.

Bella blushed and bit her lip, and for a moment, she looked just like the coy teenage girl she must have been while carving pumpkins with Edward Cullen.

"When he was done, he tapped me on my shoulder. I was still working on the smiley face I'd decided to carve. I faced him and he turned his pumpkin toward me, his eyes intent on my expression. It was a heart with a B in the middle. When I looked at him, surprised beyond words, he held out a hand toward me. My gaze flickered between his outstretched palm and his face, and for the first time that night, he looked nervous. When he gave me a small, hopeful smile, my hand rose of its own accord and I placed it in his. We both grinned when he squeezed my hand. Our fingers laced together and that was it. We haven't let go of each other since."

I sighed. Or maybe, swooned, I am not sure.

This… this was what true love looked like. It was effortless as breathing, once you've found the right person. It was what I'd always wanted, ever since I was a little girl who dreamed of a prince who would sweep me off my feet and carry me off into a happily ever after.

Was Tyler the right guy for me? We have been together for five years now and still had fights over the littlest of things. That wasn't how it was supposed to be, was it?

Bella knew Edward was it for her from the moment she had taken his hand. It was the same for my parents and for my sister Kate and her husband.

Was Tyler right? Did we jump into this too soon? Were we all wrong for each other?

"Hey," Bella's voice, though soft, startled me out of my thoughts. "You okay?"

She was looking at me in concern and it was only then that I felt the moisture on my cheek. I wiped it off quickly, and composed my nerves with a deep breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said with a smile, though I didn't know how convincing it was. "From the way Edward behaved, it sounds like he had been thinking of you, or probably watching you for a while."

Fortunately, Bella followed my lead and continued with her story. "I asked him about it, but he avoided the topic for quite a while. We'd been dating for about a month when he finally opened up to me. He told me that he'd wanted to ask me out from the first day he had seen me. But, he held back."

"Why?" I interrupted with a frown. Absorbed as I was, I simply couldn't help myself.

"Because of his decision to join the army. By that point, he was sure that this was what he wanted to do in life- serve his country. He was hesitant to begin a relationship with me, since he thought it would be wrong to lead me on without me knowing exactly what I was getting myself into."

"What did you do?"

She grinned, gently rocking her daughter in her arms. "I knocked some sense into him, that's what I did. I explained to him _very_ clearly that I could make my own decisions, thwarting any of his misguided attempts to leave me for my own good. I knew what I wanted- to be with him. If army life was a part of the package, then no matter how hard it might be, I would deal with it. I told him he had to respect me enough to trust that I could do that."

"And what was his response to that?"

"Well… he hugged me hard and kissed me till I saw stars. And a few other things, but I'll leave that to your imagination." She winked and I laughed.

Our attention was diverted when we heard the cutest little shriek. Or maybe it was a sneeze. I couldn't tell, but it was obviously a normal occurrence since Bella didn't bat an eyelash.

"Hey, baby," she cooed at her daughter in that silly voice that always seemed to come out when faced with a child. "Did you want to join the conversation? Are you talking to Angela, too?"

Well, it always happened to me, at least.

An inexplicable peace settled over my heart as I saw the interaction between a mother and her child. At 22, having a baby was not in the cards for me for a few years at the least, but, I would be lying if I said that the adorable little girl babbling and cackling in Bella's arms didn't make me dream about having one of my own someday.

I'd thought that I'd always had the utmost respect for the soldiers who fought for our country, as well as their families. But today, I had been fortunate and honored to take a peek into the life of one such family who has dedicated years of their lives to our nation. It made me realize that no amount of respect or gratitude from the citizens' part was enough to make up for their sacrifices. To think that this baby's father had missed out on the first two months of her life absolutely broke my heart.

Her father, who'd be meeting her for the very first time today.

"He doesn't know her name, just that we have a daughter," Bella told me. "When we had a chance to talk for a few minutes yesterday, he said he didn't want to know it yet. Not until she was right in front of his eyes, and tucked into his arms." Bella's features held wistfulness that I was sure my own face mirrored. "He was deployed when I was less than two months into my pregnancy. The doctor asked me if I wanted to know the sex, when I was twenty weeks along, but I refused. Edward wasn't here with me, he didn't know, so I didn't want to know either. I decided to keep it a surprise. At that time, I was hoping he might make it back before the delivery." She smiled wryly.

"Obviously, that didn't happen. And then, his unit went black. I couldn't inform him when I had labor pains, couldn't contact him and assure him that everything had gone smoothly, and couldn't tell him that our daughter had made it into this world, healthy and perfect."

Bella sighed, shaking her head. Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to the baby's forehead, laughing as a chubby little hand came up to pat her cheek.

"You asked me how I dealt with the separation," she continued, looking at me. "My daughter, she has been my biggest and most important support system. I talked to her every day, even when she was inside me, about how much her daddy and I love her, how I couldn't wait for her to be here, how strong her daddy is, fighting for his country's honor in a foreign land. She calms me like nothing else can." I watched, swallowing back tears as the proud mama held up her child in front of her face. "And after she was born, whenever I miss Edward, all I have to do is look into her eyes and I see him. My Emma gives me faith, she gives me hope that he _will_ come back. He has to. After all, he has someone _very_ important waiting to meet him. Doesn't he?" she cooed and Emma let out a squeal.

"Emma, huh?"

Bella smiled at me. "Yeah. As I said, I didn't find out the sex until she was born, so we hadn't decided on names. I was able to talk to Edward once every few days before the blackout, which happened during the seventh month of my pregnancy. Up until then, he'd made me promise that if I had to do this alone, some part of my name should be in the baby's name. Now, I certainly did not want to saddle her with Isabella Junior, and I also wanted Edward's initial to be a part of it. So, here she is… Emma Marie Cullen."

"So, E for Emma and… Marie?"

"Oh, sorry. That's my middle name and now my little princess' too." We all laughed as Emma giggled and tugged at a lock of Bella's hair, as if in agreement.

"It's a beautiful name and fits her perfectly," I said, honestly.

"Thank you, Angela."

"Alice told me he's coming home for good now? That is something to look forward to, huh?"

"Oh absolutely," she sighed. "He's completed his service, according to his contract. We'll be moving on to the next chapter of our life now. I don't care where the hell he's coming back from, for the next week, diaper duty will be delegated entirely to Daddy," she said, making me laugh. "Having him here every day is going to be a tremendous change in our lives. It couldn't be a more welcome one, though." Bella's expression was one of anticipation and excitement mixed with unbridled happiness.

It seemed like a perfect point to stop, so I looked at Mike and he nodded in confirmation. Then, I turned to Bella.

"Well, looks like we have all we want for now. What time do you have to leave for the base?"

"I have to be there at five, and it will take me about forty-five minutes to get there." She looked at the clock. "So, we still have two hours, before we need to leave. Don't we, Emma? Are you excited to see Daddy?"

Emma gurgled, her sweet face wearing a huge smile. She was such a happy baby. A little drool slipped past her lips and Bella wiped it away with a handkerchief.

Mike muttered some orders, and the crew dispersed to do his bidding. I looked around and my eyes fell upon the pumpkin once again. I couldn't resist asking Bella about it, and was relieved when she did not seem offended.

"Any guesses?" she asked me playfully.

"Now that you've told me the story of the beginning of your romance with Edward, I know that carved pumpkins have a special place in your relationship," I joked. "But, as to what it says, I have no idea."

"Okay, then. Let me show you. Here hold her." She gently deposited Emma into my lap. I'd only held a baby once before my life, so I was a little nervous. Emma did not cry, seemingly okay with the way my arms were placed around her, so, I was relieved.

Bella walked over to the Pumpkin Throne… uh, table, and slowly turned the carved side toward me. When she moved it, I realized that there was another, much smaller pumpkin which had been hidden behind the first one.

That swoony feeling swept through my heart once again when I saw what Bella had carved. In the upper half of the gigantic pumpkin was a heart, with an _E_ carved into it and in the lower half, another heart with a B.

The smaller pumpkin… it had a heart too, and written in it was _Dad._

"I tried, but _Daddy_ didn't fit. _Dad_ should work, right?"

I had to swallow the lump in my throat before I could speak. "It's perfect."

I handed Emma back to Bella, who was looking at me closely. "Are you okay?"

Before I could reply, the doorbell rang and Bella went to answer it. My gaze fell onto the back door that Mike had opened for some light. I walked toward it.

"Hey, Ang!" Eric stopped me. "It's Edward's parents, they're here. We should interview them too, right?"

"Yeah, I-uh, just give me a few minutes. Let them settle down and tell Mike to choose where he wants it done. I'll be there in… a little while." I was having a hard time keeping my emotions in check, so I practically spat out the words and ran to the porch.

I grasped the railing, taking deep shuddering breaths and trying to rein in the conglomerate of emotions swirling inside me.

Seeing the pumpkins, the effort Bella had put into them and the love that went into doing it to welcome her husband home after nine long, lonely months tugged at the strings of my heart. It made me think of so many small, but special things Tyler and I had done for each other at the beginning of our relationship.

 _Where did it all go wrong?_

 _When did we stop making that extra effort to make each other happy?_

I'd been standing there for several minutes, with not much luck in getting a handle on my emotions when I felt someone's presence beside me. A second later, Bella stepped into my line of sight.

"I'm sorry, I was just coming in."

"No." She stopped me. "Let's stay and talk for a moment."

I did as she asked, albeit nervously.

"Edward tells me I am a little nosy. Now, I like to think of myself more as _helpful_ ," she said and the corners of my lips twitched. "You're here, working, on Halloween. I'm sure Alice is going to make all of you all work this evening, and make sure that this "movie" of Edward's and my life is ready tomorrow. In return for all of your hard work, I'd like to help you with whatever is bothering you." I was about to interrupt, but she silenced me with a look. "Yes, I know and I've seen that you are a thorough professional and you haven't let your personal problems interfere with your assignment. This is not about that. You seem like a really nice person, Angela, and if you let me, I'd like to be here for you. To listen, to advise… whatever you need."

For a moment, I just looked at her. Her face held understanding, not a hint of judgment in her eyes. It gave me the strength I needed, to vent my deepest fears to someone who had been a stranger to me just a few hours ago. But, she was right. I'd been bottling this inside me for a while now. All the friends I had were also friends with Tyler. I couldn't risk talking to them about something that might reach back to him in the wrong light and create more trouble for us than we already had.

Maybe a fresh, unbiased perspective was just what I needed to clear my head.

With that thought firmly secure in mind, I began talking. "It's about my relationship with my boyfriend, Tyler. Tyler Crowley." I paused, unsure of what to say.

"Hey, don't worry about professionalism right now. It's just the two of us here. I'm your friend and I'm asking you about what is bothering you. You'll tell me, won't you? You can do that." I had to smile when she repeated my own words back to me. "Besides, I heard half of what was obviously a personal conversation between you and your boyfriend, with my boob hanging out of my shirt. So, at this point, you can say pretty much tell me anything." She shrugged.

I laughed until tears fell from my eyes. The image she had created was stuck in my mind, so that every time the giggles would die down, I'd remember it again and they would return with a vengeance until I was all… laughed out.

"God, I needed that," I mumbled and sighed. "So, yeah… Tyler. We were high school sweethearts, too, just like Edward and you. We both were accepted to the same college, and stayed in our respective dorms during those years. After graduation, I thought, what's the next step? We were going to go out into the real world, start jobs, earn money, and set up the rest of our lives. I thought moving in together was the next logical step."

"It sounds reasonable to me, so far," Bella offered.

"Tyler… He's difficult to get to know. He's had a hard life. His parents… They were never really there for him, always doing their own things, leading separate lives and when they were home, all he remembers about them is how bitterly they fought. It's what he's seen all of his life and it has made him wary. He doesn't trust people. Hell, even I had to break down his walls and crawl through, inch by inch to get to know him, to love him."

I paused for a moment.

"Until graduation, everything was perfect. There were romantic dates, flower deliveries without any occasion, phone calls in the middle of the night just to hear the other person's voice. But, ever since we've started living together, it has been… difficult. Tyler is used to being on his own, so sharing space with him leads to pointless arguments that escalate way beyond the reason for which they started. "

"I can understand that," she said. It surprised me.

"You can?"

"Of course. It wasn't all roses and sunshine in our relationship. Even living together after Edward would come back after months of deployment was a huge adjustment in the beginning. He'd get in my way; I'd get in his way. For the first couple of weeks, we would just tiptoe around each other, getting thoroughly frustrated in the process. And that frustration lets itself out on our better halves, because there is simply no one else to tolerate it."

"I- I don't understand. I saw the way you talked about Edward, about your relationship. It is clear as day that you love him more than your own life. My parents, my sister and her husband… they're the same way. Then why would-" I couldn't find the right phrase.

"Why would we fight?" Bella suggested and I nodded. That worked.

"Oh, Angela. If you love someone, that doesn't mean you always agree with them, or that you've entirely given up your personality and molded it to suit their needs. When you and Tyler were in school, then college, you didn't see each other nearly as much as you do now that you sleep under the same roof. In the beginning, you always put your best foot forward- put on makeup, perfume, sexy lingerie, shaved your legs… all of that and much more. Living together works only if you're prepared to see that same person drenched in sweat, wearing granny panties or ratty boxers, dark circles of exhaustion or tears of frustration in their eyes, and still love them the same.

"The silliest things seem so damn important when you're determined to fight with each other."

Bella nodded. "Yes, they do. When you live together, the compromises you have to make range from what detergent to buy, what TV channels to watch, what side of the bed to sleep on, to whether or not you can move the other's things without _telling_ them, not _asking,_ " she said pointedly, and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. "Look, I don't know what he was saying on the other end, but you could have simply told him that you hadn't seen it, rather than implying that he wanted you to ask his permission before touching his things. Was that what Tyler said, or was it what you chose to believe?"

I looked away, biting my lip as a lone tear slid down my cheek.

"This morning, he said that I was the one who pushed him about moving in together. That it was my decision, not his and what we were facing now was my fault." My voice broke.

"Oh, honey." Bella grasped my hand. "I'm sorry he said that. What did you do?"

"I walked out as fast as I could. It was just before I was leaving to come here."

"And before he said that? What was going on then?"

I thought back. "We were fighting about… God, I can't even remember how it started. Wait, yeah, it was about this assignment. I wanted him to come with me, but he'd already planned a day with his family. That would have been fine, except for the fact that he did not invite me, or even ask me for the sake of courtesy."

She gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "The family thing… You'd have to ask him to explain it to you. But, it sounds to me, like he said what he did in the heat of the moment. Did he try to apologize afterward?"

My mind whirled back to the phone call. Tyler's whisper reverberated through my core.

" _I didn't- I didn't mean what I said this morning. Please, I don't want to fight anymore."_

"He-he tried," I choked out. "But, by that time, I was so angry, I didn't listen or care. I didn't want to care, to back down, appear weak."

"That, right there," Bella said immediately, making me face her. "The way I see it, the two of you are treating this like a contest when the truth is… the truth is that you both are on the same side here, honey. You don't need to appear strong in front of him. He's the person that you should be able to reveal your weaknesses to without any fear of judgment or being taken advantage of. His upbringing made him rigid, and your temperament made you impatient. That needs to change for this to work. A relationship cannot function and thrive without compromises, with balance on both sides."

I closed my eyes, and tried to soak in her words, and absorb their meaning.

"Relationships are hard," I grumbled, but the very next moment, I regretted it.

My issues had _nothing_ on what Bella and Edward had faced and survived. At least the man I loved wasn't thousands of miles away, fighting death in harsh conditions every day. He was right across the room from me and yet, we'd stubbornly allowed ourselves to grow so far apart, that at this point, there might as well have been an ocean between us.

Bella laughed, thankfully not thinking anything of my comment. "They are. The only thing that you have to decide is, are they worth it? Edward took a chance, at a Halloween party fourteen years ago, and so did I, when I held his hand during his enlistment, because we knew we were worth it. You have to make the same choice, Angela. Is Tyler worth it?"

With that simple, yet poignant question, she hugged my shoulders, and went inside, leaving me to my disjointed thoughts.

When I joined them, about ten minutes later, Bella was nowhere to be seen, neither was Emma. Alice was back, this time with her husband, Jasper. They were chatting with a couple who I assumed were her and Edward's parents.

The man had blond hair and a tall, muscular stature while the auburn-haired woman had a heart-shaped face and deep emerald eyes. Her gaze fell on me, while I was lingering awkwardly, and she smiled. Alice noticed me next and invited me over to where they were seated. She introduced me, and I shook hands with Esme and Carlisle Cullen. They were pleasant and welcoming, as they talked to me about my job.

It was only a few minutes later that I realized that while Alice headed the media division of Cullen Inc., it was Mr. Cullen who owned the entire company. Which meant, that I was sitting there, chatting about my experience at the job with my boss' boss.

The realization would have rendered me tongue-tied, but the Cullens seemed to be such down to earth and genuine people that it was difficult to feel uncomfortable in their presence.

A few minutes later, Alice pulled me aside and informed me that they'd already interviewed Mr. and Mrs. Cullen while I was outside.

I started to apologize, but she stopped me. "I'm not reprimanding you. Bella said it was important, whatever you two were doing outside, and I trust her. I'm telling you this because it's almost time for Bella to leave, so I want both you and Mike to go through the footage you have and make sure you don't need anything else. All that should be left now is my brother's arrival home. Alright?"

I nodded quickly and went in search of Mike.

Just as we'd finished combing through the recording, Bella descended the stairs, with Emma in her arms. On closer inspection, I realized that the onesie Emma was wearing had a big jack-o-lantern emblazoned on the front.

"Wow, you really do take Halloween seriously," I teased and Bella winked.

"Told you. Did you know he proposed to me on Halloween with a pumpkin carved with _Marry Me_ instead of a ring?"

I gaped at her. "You're kidding."

She laughed. "Not at all. Other couples have Valentine Day, we have Halloween. It's our thing. Plus, it's easier to get a reservation for a candlelight dinner in a cozy, romantic restaurant."

She bid goodbye to Alice, Carlisle and Esme, who were going to wait at home, give Edward a little privacy to see his daughter and wife first.

"You're coming too?" Bella asked us, when she saw Mike's packed up equipment.

"Yeah, but don't worry, they'll be nowhere near you guys. You don't want to miss the moment Edward sees Emma for the first time," Alice explained.

With that, Bella and Emma headed to the army base in their car and we followed.

Once there, we set up at the point we were allotted, along with some other relatives who were there to record the reunion of their own families. Only a select, pre-determined number of people were allowed to go closer to where the bus full of soldiers would arrive. I hoped Mike's camera lens had a good zooming feature. I mentioned this to him, and quickly backed off when he shot me an irritated look.

We had been standing there for about fifteen minutes when the bus arrived. One by one, out came both men and women dressed in uniforms, grinning, waving, and cheering as they made their way to their families.

"There," Mike announced, looking through the camera. I stretched up on my tip toes and there he was.

Major Edward Cullen.

The first thing I saw was his short, yet somehow tousled, copper hair on top of his six-feet-two tall frame.

I watched with bated breath as he stepped out of the bus and looked around for his family. The moment they caught his eye was pretty clear because a huge grin stretched across his lips. As I watched Mike's screen, zoomed in as far as it could go, his green eyes sparkled through what looked like a thin sheen of moisture.

He took a couple of steps walking, but it wasn't fast enough as he broke into a sprint until he'd reached right in front of Bella. I had thought that his first reaction would have been to pick her up into a tight hug.

I was wrong.

The first thing he did was raise his hand to Bella's cheek and softly peck her lips, his other hand automatically reaching out to touch his daughter's back.

Pulling away, he gently took Emma into his arms, and tears trickled down his face as he looked at her angelic little face. Bella snuggled into his chest on the other side, while Emma patted his cheek repeatedly. I felt my own tears form when I saw him grab Emma's hand, bring it to his lips, and kiss it softly.

I couldn't stop the sob that had been building in my throat when he looked back at Bella, wonder and awe plain in his eyes and leaned down to kiss her harder than before. His arm wound tight around her waist, bringing her flush to his body as they poured nine months' worth of yearning, passion, and _love_ into a single kiss.

All I could think about at that moment was the pang in my chest and the intense longing to have Tyler's arms around me, to have his fingers wipe the tears from my eyes, like they always did, to have his deep, rough voice whisper in my ear that everything was going to be fine.

I wanted… needed him with me, now and always.

" _You have to make the same choice, Angela. Is Tyler worth it?"_ Bella had asked.

I had my answer.

Once they broke apart, Bella pointed toward us, smiled and waved, asking Edward to do the same. They went over to the office to complete paperwork and collect Edward's luggage.

We made our way back to the house quickly, setting everything up once again, to record Edward's arrival to his home.

It was just as emotional as the reunion at the base, with hugs and kisses, tears and smiles, pats on the back and loud cheers.

Edward had yet to let go of Emma since he'd held her the first time and no one was about to ask him to do so. He kept stroking her hair or kissing her cheeks and she was eating it all up. She only cried once, just a disgruntled little wail, when her diaper needed to be changed. Her daddy jumped up to do it, and Bella rubbed away the happy tears that trickled down her face at the sight.

Mrs. Cullen and Alice had already prepared the food, and they asked us all to join them, insisting even though we try to decline to give them some much-needed family time.

The doorbell rang, and Bella went to answer it.

"Angela?" she called out, less than a minute later. She gave me a huge smile and a wink when I reached her. "Someone's here to see you."

Puzzled, I turned and came face to face with a _very_ nervous Tyler standing at the door.

"Can we talk?" he asked, because my mouth suddenly seemed as dry as paper.

Awkwardly, we took a seat on the topmost step on the porch. A minute passed, an uncomfortable silence lingering between us, before Tyler suddenly started talking.

"I know you are mad at me because I didn't invite you to spend the day with my family. I am _so_ sorry for not explaining it before, but I have a reason, Angela." He spoke quickly, as though worried that I'd stop him or that he'd lose the nerve if he paused in between sentences. "Please, just listen to me."

"I'm listening," I said in a soft tone and judging by the look on Tyler's face, it surprised him.

He quickly recovered and continued. "Angie… I just didn't want to expose you to that world. I have no freaking idea why we still pretend to have these family dinners for the holidays when we can barely tolerate each other. I tend to keep my mouth shut, but my parents… all they have to say to each other are taunts, cryptic insults, and sarcastic remarks. On the other hand-" He sighed, meeting my eyes. "Your family… you were brought up differently than me. You had the perfect example of loving, honest relationships right before your eyes. I know that is what you've been expecting of me, of us, and I've failed you."

"Tyler, no-"

"Wait," he pleaded. "Let me finish. We've been arguing over the smallest things, and I was afraid, Angie. I was afraid you'd see my parents, the bitterness they had allowed to destroy their marriage and you would give up on me."

I breathed deeply and scooted closer to him. "All I've ever wanted was for you to share your life with me. Your thoughts, your feelings. I love you, Tyler. I'll admit, I haven't been the easiest person to live with." We both snickered. "But, you never clean up! So, I do it and then you nag at me about moving your things."

"You _know_ how Alice is," he groaned. "I just hate being late in presenting my work to her. I know you're the same way." He looked at me pointedly, so I nodded sheepishly. "I admit I have a tendency to keep things here and there, but if you'd just _tell_ me where you put the stuff, or leave it on the study table, we could avoid what happened this morning, couldn't we?"

"I guess we could," I whispered with a smile. I grasped his hand and squeezed it lightly.

"And the other things… We're just getting started. We'll need a little time to adjust to the new arrangement, but if we are a little patient, I think we can work things out." He looked at me with hopeful eyes and they destroyed the walls of anger and cynicism that had caged my heart.

"I'd like that. It's not going to be easy; we're going to have to work at it," I said. "But, I believe that we are worth it."

"That we are," he whispered. His features morphed into the crooked smile that I'd fallen in love with five years ago, and it still managed to make my pulse race and my face flush with desire.

He knew the effect he had on me, cocky bastard that he was, and leaned in with a smirk. I met him halfway, letting out lips do the remaining talking for us.

Our arms wrapped around each other, as we kissed with a passion that had always been there, but had been lost somewhere in the battle between our egos.

The feeling of his hands gently, but firmly framing my face, his warm, soft lips sliding in between mine, his strong arms wrapped around me so tight, as though he never wanted to let me go… it was everything I'd missed so badly in the past month and to have it all back brought the telltale prick of tears in my eyes. He saw them when we broke apart, and brushed them away with his lips.

"I love you." It was a heartfelt whisper against my skin.

"I love you, too. We'll make it work, Tyler. We'll do whatever it takes."

We sealed our promise with another kiss.

"Are you finished? Can we go home?" he asked.

"Just give me a minute."

I walked back inside, and Bella met me in the foyer.

"Sooo?"

"I was wondering if I could go home, now." I bit my lip, but couldn't stop the smile from spreading over my face.

Bella returned it brightly. "Home, huh? Of course, you should go."

"But Alice-"

She waved off my concerns. "I'll talk to her, don't worry about it." Edward came over and slid an arm around her waist. I watched, as Bella practically melted against his side, and he leaned in to press a kiss on her forehead.

"I've been told you two hit it off pretty well and Angela knows every single detail of our lives now," he said playfully, looking between the two of us.

"I wouldn't say _every_ detail." Bella winked.

He hummed, smiling down at her, adoration shining in his green eyes. "I'll know everything when we see the video, love."

"Then you can see for yourself."

Edward turned to me, holding out a hand and I shook it. "Thank you for doing this, Angela. I look forward to seeing what you will create for us."

I smiled at the two of them. For the first time in the day, there was no hint of sadness in my mind. Their loving interaction filled me with nothing but hope and joy.

"It was my pleasure and honor to spend the day listening to such a wonderful love story and meeting the adorable little Miss Emma Cullen," I told them. "Thank you for your service to our nation."

Bella stepped forward and hugged me.

"Thank you. So much," I whispered to her, my voice dripping with emotion.

"Don't be a stranger, okay?" she ordered. "I'll get your number from Alice, and let's meet up for lunch."

I smiled. "I'd like that." With that, I bid them goodbye.

I walked down the steps, where Tyler was waiting for me. He turned when I reached the bottom step, smiled and held out a hand. I took it and together, we stepped forward into what I hoped was the beginning of a new, happier chapter of our lives.


End file.
